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Bees Are Dying!!!

Bees are endlessly intriguing, and incredibly necessary to us. If bees disappeared, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to grow much of what we eat. Bees pollinate crops ranging from apples to zucchini. Blueberries and almonds are almost entirely dependent on them. Bees are good pollinators because, unlike some birds and other insects that are after nectar alone, they also seek out pollen which they use along with nectar to feed the hive. In the process, they transfer pollen from the male part of one flower to the female part of another, fertilizing plants so they can develop seed-carrying fruits. Wild bees and domesticated honey bees are both important pollinators.

The Effect on the Planet is Drastic

Sadly, both wild and domesticated bees are in trouble, and that means we could be too. Causes of phenomena such as Colony Collapse Disorder and other declines in bee populations, are not entirely understood but scientists are getting closer to knowing why bees are dying. Ironically, much of it relates to agricultural practices. Modern methods of growing food are killing one of our biggest helpers in food production.

What’s Going on in Honey Bee Colonies Worldwide?

A list of possible causes for Bee Colony Collapse Disorder includes beekeeper management practices, new pesticides, pesticide use patterns, nutritional deficits associated with extensive monocultures, climate change, exotic parasites and pathogens, diminished immunity to pathogens or even interactions among two or more of these factors. This disorder is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a colony abruptly disappear. The mysterious vanishing of honey bees from hives can be directly linked to insecticide use, according to new research from Harvard University. The scientists showed that exposure to two neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used class of insecticide, lead to half the colonies studied dying, while none of the untreated colonies saw their bees disappear.
Today the disappearance of honey bees has transformed into a global epidemic, negatively affecting ecosystems in a multitude of environments.
The impact honey bees have on the human population and the environment is far more crucial than we may think. Agricultural crops rely on honey bees worldwide to provide them with life and guarantee their reproduction. Without bees, there would be significantly less pollination which would result in limited plant growth and lower food supplies. According to Dr Albert Einstein, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men.”

How Can We Help?

One of the easiest ways to help rejuvenate the honey bee population is to respect honey bees. Learn to preserve beehives and embrace bees’ roles in our ecosystem. The bees have a job to do, and threatening their quality of life will consequently threaten everyone’s. There are also proactive ways to encourage the regrowth of bee colonies. We need to get a handle on the toxic chemicals we use to grow food. As individuals, we can help bees. Stop using pesticides and join the call to ban the worst ones. Plant bee-friendly plants and gardens, make wild bee ‘houses’ and learn more about our fuzzy, buzzing friends. If we want to eat, if we want to survive, we have to come up with a long-term solution.

C2CAF remain a loud voice to the animals abused in the live export trade

For animals, a step onto a live export ship can lead to a most cruel and brutal fate. We know, because 41 Animals Australia investigations have revealed what the industry doesn’t want the public to see.

When Animals Australia’s first Indonesian live export investigation was aired on Four Corners, a massive public outcry forced the Australian government to regulate the live trade for the very first time.

New rules made exporting harder, more expensive, and fewer animals today endure this journey.But the cruelty continues.

The past year has been enormous for Coast to Coast. We have launched our Loyalty Membership Card programme, created some wonderful C2C merch (which originally caused much angst and we all know that story), and completed some very important documents for our organisation … the Bylaws and Guidelines for Volunteers; the Committee Administration Code of Conduct; the Mandate; and the Loyalty Membership Card Leaflet which has already been updated.

And we created our soon-to-become-legendary PopUps where we go on the road and take our messages of compassion and how to live a cruelty-free lifestyle to the people. We make our own little ‘event’ with great entertainment, cruelty-free food and, of course, awareness of all the injustice that is inflicted upon our animal brothers and sisters by humans. We demonstrate how to reject that injustice and, instead, choose a compassionate, vegan lifestyle with little negative impact on this fragile planet we share with our fellow animals.

Lead in to CPPA – Celebration for People * Planet * Animals …

Celebration for the People * Planet * Animals – 20th September 2014

Our much-anticipated event held on Saturday, 20th September in Southport had many favourable responses and ripples of compassion and encouragement in our fight to improve life for our animal friends.

Our evening featured five hours of awesome musical entertainment, a cruelty-free canapé buffet, vegan wine and beer, and some truly uplifting speakers.

We welcomed the highly respected Philip Wollen, OAM, who delivered an inspiring and powerful message on animal rights, social justice, veganism, and respect and compassion for all animals. Philip’s message promotes kindness towards all living beings, saying his life’s philosophy is based on ‘ahimsa’ (a Sanskrit word meaning ‘not to injure’ either humans or animals).

Many said they had never, in their entire lives, been to such an event that advocated a cruelty-free lifestyle and promoted thought-provoking self-changes. One woman stated as she was leaving that she was now going to change her lifestyle and become vegan, and really didn’t know why it had taken her so long for the penny to drop … but that Saturday night it did! Another woman said, “If anyone wasn’t vegan after hearing Philip Wollen speak, they just weren’t alive!” She, being a long-term vegetarian, was going straight home to throw out her selection of cheeses, once and for all.

We received so much feedback about the diverse and tasty vegan banquet that we created, with guests raving about the food being “awesome”, “scrumptious” and “delectable”. People commented that it was so pleasing to know that EVERYTHING on the menu was cruelty-free and therefore safe to eat without having to ask “Is this vegan?” A HUGE thank you to all our incredibly generous food suppliers, restaurateurs, donors and sponsors. We thank you for your generous contribution of delicious cruelty-free food and products that were donated towards creating vegan delicacies, and towards the hampers and raffles. We couldn’t have done it without them.

We had a fabulous line-up of music that night … something to suit everyone’s tastes. To all the wonderful musicians, we feel honoured that you were part of this occasion, and we thank you for donating your time and your musical expertise, contributing to the ambience of a highly enjoyable evening. The energy that you gave was instrumental to the success of our event! Once again, we thank you.

Also on board for the evening were Sea Shepherd Gold Coast, Farm Animal Rescue, and the Vegetarian/Vegan Society of Queensland, as well as other interesting merchandise and stall holders who share our philosophy and vision of a compassionate and healthy future for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

It was a hugely successful night with approximately 200 people enjoying delicious plant-based food, wine and beer, and enjoying wonderful entertainment. Many went home spurred on with the desire to work for change by promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle and social justice for the betterment of the Planet and for all kind, both human and non-human alike.

Thank you all who attended or contributed to a brilliant evening.

Gold Coast Pet Expo 2014 – 4th & 5th October 2014

The Gold Coast Pet Expo is the largest animal event in Australia and is a must-see for all animal lovers. We had a great group of vollies for that event. It was all about animals – we had a photo booth for a bit of fun where people could dress up in animal costumes, or add ears/noses/horns etc. And of course we were there to bring awareness of animal-related issues and how to live a compassionate lifestyle. We were busy with petitions and showcasing the organisations that we advocate for over the 2-day event.

Coast to Coast Animal Friends created a simulation Air France KLM Flight 6662 Hell complete with a uniformed crew and rehearsed choreography. This staged street demonstration was held in Sydney Australia in October 2014 as part of the World Week for Liberation of Primates and in support of the Gateway to Hell campaign against Air France KLM.

We performed our protest in Martin Place after marching in formation like a well drilled flight crew through the city continuing to spread awareness of the passenger airline Air France KLM who are currently the only passenger airline transporting primates, dogs and cats from third world breeding facilities to laboratories for brutal, horrific and hidden animal testing. Chay Neal, President of Animal Liberation Qld, joined us as our captain. The event was filmed by Carol Slater and, once released on the net, the youtube footage was very well received by the general public and by Gateway to Hell campaign group in the US who were impressed with our actions here in Australia and commended us highly.

Animal Activist Forum, Sydney – 18th & 19th October 2014

Last year Coast to Coast took a full crew down to Sydney to coordinate the running of the Animal Activist Forum. This is a yearly event showcasing everything you need to know to become an informed animal activist from national and international speakers teaching how to increase our skills and effectiveness; to increase networking; to showcase effective campaigns, and inspire everyone to continue their work.

Of course there were also social gatherings and vegan food feasts while we were in Sydney.

Lyn White’s National Speaking Tour – 2nd December 2014

As we all know Lyn White is the Campaign Director for Animals Australia. She is recognised and respected as one of Australia’s foremost animal advocates and animal cruelty investigators. Coast to Coast were honoured to be the organising team for the Brisbane leg of her tour … a huge crew in fact. We had approximately 28 people with a few on standby who volunteered on merchandise, welcoming and ushering, and generally ensuring the event went off without a hitch.

The Brisbane event was chosen to be filmed to make the dvd which is now readily available. Lyn’s “Be The Best You Can Be” speaking tour was extremely inspiring, and we all left sparked with renewed fervour to continue our animal activist work.

Shane joined the Sunshine Coast crew to hold a successful stall in conjunction with Silver Lining Pet Rescue for a Family Fun Day at Mudjimba. It was great to be part of this pro-active rescue group’s event.

Abolition of Slavery Day – 269Life Tattoo Event – 18th December 2014

This event in 2014 marked our Third Annual Tattoo Event to support the 269Life movement. Last year we had approximately 10 people inked with their choice of 269. Over the 3 years of running this event, we have had about 90 people getting 269 tattoos in support of all the innocent nameless victims whose bodies are used to feed us, clothe us, entertain us. The branding of 269 is for us, an act of solidarity in which we hope to raise awareness and empathy towards those millions of innocent animals who are brutally murdered in slaughterhouses on a daily basis.

Magic Millions Protest – 10th January 2015

Once again we joined forces with the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses and Animal Liberation Queensland to demonstrate outside the Bundall Racecourse on the Gold Coast. Our aim was to bring awareness to the general public who get dressed up to the nines to go and watch young 2hr old horses be pushed to their absolute limits for an allegedly exciting and profitable payoff. These animals are way too young to be undergoing this amount of pressure on their bodies … they are just babies at this age with underdeveloped bones that are not strong enough to endure so much pressure. We are fighting for a 1% retirement plan for racehorses in place of the current slaughter and wastage of healthy young horses bred only to satisfy an inhumane desire for entertainment at the fatal expense of these beautiful young animals.

Fire Appeal – January 2015

As soon as the news of the tragedy taking place in southern Australia reached us, Coast to Coast Animal Friends members, volunteers and friends rallied to quickly gather donations and supplies to aid and help with the South Australian and Victorian Fire Appeal. Care parcels were collected and were sent to help our neighbouring animal care providers with their rehabilitation and treatment of all animals affected in these tragic fires. 10 care parcels were sent to be transported interstate. Big thanks goes out to all who helped with this fire appeal. We couldn’t have done it without you!

In 31st January 2015 Coast to Coast Animal Friends met at The Green Edge in Brisbane for a meeting and to gratefully accept a generous cheque donation and gifts towards our fire appeal from the Supreme Master Ching Hai’s representative, John.

Huge thanks go to all who made our appeal such a great success – we couldn’t have done it without you.

Fun in the Sun for the Animals – Burleigh PopUp – 29th March 2015

Sunday 29th March 2015 was our first PopUp event in Justin’s Park, Burleigh Beach – Fun in the Sun for the Animals! And what a fun day it was.

We had our lovely and talented C2CAF volunteers Gem Stone and Sophia Fletcher on the microphone and guitar providing us with fantastic entertainment. Some of us wore animal onesies for the occasion! We had some amazing cakes, slices, cupcakes and bliss balls on sale made by our very own volunteers on our bake team. As usual we had our merchandise for sale from C2CAF, Animals Australia, ALQ, Animal Aid Abroad, BARC and Soi Dogs. This day was also the launch of our Loyalty Membership Card program. Some people brought along their pooches to say hi! A great day had by all with lots of sunshine and lots of fun.

C2CAF Air France Demonstration – 18th April 2015

On Saturday 18th April, 2015 flight staff for the Air France KLM 6662 Hell (aka our wonderful, passionate and determined Coast to Coast Animal Friends crew!) came together in Brisbane at Reddacliff Place to protest against this airline that continues to ship primates and other animals for animal testing, a cruel, longstanding practice that it not only unnecessary but ineffective as concise and conclusive studies have shown.

It was our passionate duty here at Coast to Coast Animal Friends to protest against Air France KLM as they are the only major airline that continues to do this. So we dusted off our Air France Flight Crew uniforms and staged another mock flight simulation with rehearsed choreography with everyone in full Air France uniform. This marked the World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week.

It was great to also see our friends in the stall next to us from Friends of the Hound with their lovely, placid and very well behaved rescue Greyhounds. A fun and informative day had by all volunteers of C2CAF and of course the emotional rewards that come with spreading awareness, as always.

Roy Taylor’s Workshop at Shane’s – 2nd May 2015

Roy, the organiser of the Animal Action Forum, was up here in Qld and he held an animal rights workshop for the C2CF Committee and Members, followed by a potluck dinner at Shane’s.

Mother’s Day PopUp – 10th May 2015

On Mother’s day this year, Sunday 10th May we had our Coast to Coast Animal Friends PopUp Event to help spread awareness about some of the most abused mothers on the planet – dairy cows, and their babies.

NON-DAIRY delicacies were our focus this time, with cakes, slices and cheese plate platters … YES, cruelty-free CHEESE! We also had a guilt and cruelty-free burgers and salad plates and of course our legendary cupcakes, truffles and other sweet indulgences! We had live music again with our very own C2CAF volunteer Gem Stone with her soft and sultry tones! And Felicity Lawless also entertained us with her beautiful voice and funky talents.

A lot of awareness regarding the dairy industry was spread that day, and general awareness spread about animal cruelty and all it is that we here at Coast to Coast Animal Friends do!

RSPCA Million Paws Walk – 17th May 2015

Arriving early that morning before 7.30am to set up, once again Coast to Coast Animal Friends participated and had a stall at this year’s RSPCA Millions Paws Walk on Sunday 17th May at the Broadwater Parklands in Southport on the Gold Coast. What a day! We were there with our animal action stall selling our merchandise and again spreading vegan information and creating awareness regarding animal abuse and a cruelty-free lifestyle!

So many pooches big and small, some breeds we never knew existed, some dyed different colours, their coats perfectly manicured, some boisterous and excited and others very distinguished. Some people dressed up their canine companions in wonderful theme outfits, some fitted out with tiaras and angel wings! Most dogs were a mixture of confused and excited but were having so much fun making new friends.

Vegan Café Fest Tour Around Sydney – 12th June 2015

Those C2C members who travelled to Sydney for the Walk Against Slaughterhouses demonstration went on a food fest around Sydney the day before the demo. They went to the first vegan sushi bar, had a big buffet at Green Gourmet, and went to our favourite vegan restaurant in Sydney, Bodhi’s. We also met Suzie Spoon, Sydney’s only vegan butcher who joined up as a sponsor for our Loyalty Membership Program.

Walk Against Slaughterhouses – 13th June 2015 – Sydney

A group of C2C went down to support Animal Liberation NSW’s global event – March to Close All Slaughterhouses. Shane and Adrianna worked for a several days on our amazing banner which really made an impact at the march. The day was one of solidarity with activists and other compassionate members of the animal rights movement; a day not just of solemn remembrance of animal suffering, but also celebration and optimism for the progress being made by those joining the fight.

Thank you to all those members who travelled down to represent C2C at this important global event.

‘No Whip Racing’ Demo with CPR

Once again we joined forces with Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses for this important demonstration against whips in racing.

We rallied outside Myer at Garden City at Mount Gravatt as Myer was the main supporter of the event.

Keeping it Cool at Coolangatta PopUp for Animals – 5th July 2015

This was our first PopUp Against Confinement where we featured a cage in which people could estimate how long they could handle being enclosed in a small environment. Everybody who tried it could empathise just that bit more with the billions of animals who are bred for human consumption or who are confined in animal testing laboratories or small enclosures for human entertainment.

We released our first meme in conjunction with the confinement theme.

C2CAF Submitted an Application for a Voiceless Grant

This year was the first year that we went through the process of applying for a Voiceless grant. Obviously we need a lot more guidance in this area, and we’ll put more time and effort into it next year. We need to come up with a specific campaign and research it thoroughly before we submit the actual application.

We’re not too sure how our application was received as we haven’t had final word back at this stage. It was certainly a learning experience for us as we have not applied for grants before this.

The 3 Page Spread in Vegan Lifestyle magazine

This year we were also privileged to be featured in a 3 page spread in Vegan Lifestyle Magazine which is an international online magazine … a bit like the ‘Vogue’ of the vegan magazine world. We were featured in the same issue as our wonderful mentor, Philip Wollen. Vegan Lifestyle is an international online magazine – the Vogue of the vegan magazine world.

Article in Vital magazine

We have also been featured in an article in Vital magazine. This same edition advertised the café for the first social dinner and the bed and breakfast. It also featured David Hearn’s article on the Kangaroo Cull at Sanctuary Cove, with our C2C article at the back. See the printed sample here.

Centenary Rocks! Festival, Brisbane – 26th July 2015

We took C2C on the road again in July, taking our Animal Action Stall to a local community festival in the western suburbs of Brisbane. Once again, we had our C2CAF merchandise, along with everything we sell for the charities we advocate for, and we spread awareness of many issues relating to animals, and living a cruelty-free lifestyle.

Byron “Peace For All Creatures” PopUp – 9th August 2015

“Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to Byron?”

With the rain threatening to dampen our spirits, we all drove down to Byron to bring our special message of peace to all animals to a new community. It was an unknown venue and we weren’t sure how we would be received in the Byron community, but before I continue, a little back story. A few weeks earlier, Shane and I drove down to check things out and on the way down, Shane was going through the paperwork for approvals only to discover that the council wanted everything submitted 2 months before the event!!! I don’t know how the amazing Shane managed to pull this one off, but somehow she worked her incredible magic, got everything in to the council and got approval for our date. Shane, you are simply amazing!

Back to the day, people were getting to Apex Park early for the set-up, some had stayed overnight, and things were, let’s just say, a tiny bit wet with a bit of rain coming down, but then, as if the sun gods had smiled on us, the clouds started to break and a beautiful day emerged, and what a day it was. We were greeted so warmly by the Byron community with so many people coming over to ask what we were doing, buying merchandise, donating money, buying awesome vegan food, listening to incredible music and learning about living a cruelty free lifestyle.

So many thanks go out to everyone involved and I hope I don’t forget anyone. To the amazing cupcake makers … you are wicked temptresses with your awesome sweetness, the wonderful Tofurky who sponsored our event again, the incredible wonderful delicious food from Heart & Halo Good Food Bar who went way and above in their generosity … many people bought, ate, enjoyed and were amazed at how good vegan food can taste.

To the incredible musicians that performed for us we say so many thanks. The day had such an incredible vibe that brought people to us. Nathan Kaye, you are spectacular and what an awesome performance. Adrian and Megan Stuckey (Chameleon) you were mind-blowing with your talents and you had everyone grooving to your incredible choice of music. Our resident songstresses, Gem and Sophia, your talents set the day up for a wonderful day of music for all. Also a huge thanks to Adrian Stuckey for providing us with a kicking sound system for the event.

To all the Coast To Coast family, your passion for the animals leaves me speechless. You all give so freely of your time and you strive to make this world a better place for all living creatures. It is the combined energy of the beautiful Coast To Coast Animal Friends family that makes these events possible.

To sum up briefly … WOW … WHAT A DAY!!!

Urgent Kangaroo Cull Demonstration at Hope Island

Once we found out that Sanctuary Cove was culling some of its kangaroo population, C2C members sprang into life and joined forces with Animal Liberation Qld and Karen Scott from Wildcare Qld to stage a protest on Hope Island to make it known that there is much opposition to this kangaroo cull.

Local Hope Island residents were sent letters saying the kangaroos were being relocated but in fact the permit actually stated that there was no relocation allowed and they were actually culling the roos. We know they have not put in enough studies of the family structures to even begin to know what kangaroos could be relocated, not culled. They were indiscriminately culling and breaking down intricate family structures of protected kangaroos in a designated sanctuary.

So police permits were secured and troops were rounded up to take our message to the streets to let the kangaroos live in peace.

Introducing our exciting new Loyalty Membership Card programme.

Coast to Coast Animal Friends would like to invite you to join our activist group and support our advocacy work for animals.

Become a C2CAF member and, as well as helping us to help animals, you will receive our new Loyalty Membership Card which will entitle you to discounts and special offers from our associate sponsors on presentation of your card.

As a member, you will receive a quarterly newsletter which will advise you of all updates and current promotions.
By joining C2CAF, you are becoming part of the global cruelty-free movement and helping to bring about much-needed change, while supporting those within our community who are truly making a difference.

For a list of our sponsors, check out our LMC Sponsor’s Directory page.